To sample a trademark Dutch jolt of modernism, look no further than the Westersingel canal just south of the train station. One bank is sloping grass and the other is bricked, with tight edges. It’s not monumental exactly, but compared to the quaintness of Amsterdam’s central canals, or to the everyday utilitarianism of country canals, it leaves a strong impression.

Alright then, let’s start exploring the second largest city in the Netherlands. Here are five budget-minded Rotterdam tips: transportation, Witte de Withstraat, some nice places to walk, some cheap eats and a cheap bed.

1. Getting there by rail or plane

You’ll likely arrive by train from Amsterdam. Trains between Amsterdam Centraal and the astoundingly sharply-angled new Rotterdam Centraal train station take between 35 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes, give or take. A full-fare one-way ticket is around €14.50, and children between 4 and 11 years of age can travel under the Railrunner ticket for €2.50 apiece. Note that the Railrunner ticket is not good on Thalys trains. If you’re arriving from Rotterdam The Hague Airport, take the bus (number 33) to the center of Rotterdam for €3. This bus takes about 20 minutes.

2. Strolling along Witte de Withstraat

Everyone will tell you to check out Witte de Withstraat, and you should. It’s lovely, with cute cafés, decorative neon signage and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art (50 Witte de Withstraat), which currently boasts a fascinating exhibit titled Dai Hanzhi: 5000 Artists. This exhibit is devoted to the life of Hans van Dijk, a Dutch curator and gallerist instrumental to the development of contemporary Chinese art.

Don’t miss a stroll down Oude Binnenweg. Photo: Alper C.

3. More nice places to walk

Westkruiskade, Oude Binnenweg, Pannekoekstraat and Nieuwmarkt should all be on your list. Venture down Westkruiskade in the morning before it gets really busy, while deliveries are coming in. The street is full of Chinese and Surinamese supermarkets, bakeries, butchers, restaurants and beauty supply stores, and offers a strong flavor of today’s Rotterdam.

For a quainter, more traditionally Dutch atmosphere, spend some time on Oude Binnenweg nearby. The Dutch fair trade chain WAAR has a shop at 144a Oude Binnenweg. WAAR is great for gifts and has a book exchange library. Close by is Boekhandel v/h Van Gennep (131b Oude Binnenweg), a beautiful independent bookstore with a decent English-language section.

Pannekoekstraat is good for midrange cafés, and Nieuwmarkt is full of antique/curio shops and the smart-looking Urban Espresso Bar.

Keep an eye out for Febo, an automat where you can pick up a snack for just a few euros. Photo: Salim V

4. The best cheap eats

A plethora of kebab and shawarma restaurants blanket much of Rotterdam; to these you can add a huge number of all-purpose takeaways selling items loosely based on Chinese, Indonesian and Surinamese cuisines—as well as Febo, the (in)famous coin-operated Dutch food automat chain, with its range of croquettes, frikadel and other fried things (from €1.60).

Alternately, there’s also Angie’s Fast Fresh Food (Karel Doormanstraat 368-370) for rather healthier fare, including a range of sandwiches (from €3.95) and tagines, salads and pastas (from €7.95).

5. A very affordable hostel

Stayokay Rotterdam is where you want to sleep if you’re looking to save big. Located inside the city’s famous Cube Houses, a shared bed can be had for €16.70 including breakfast. Private double rooms begin at €50.40. The hostel epitomizes the cheap and cheerful vibe.

Click here to see all hotels in Rotterdam available for your dates.

Special thanks to former Rotterdam resident Shaney Hudson for her super worthwhile Rotterdam tips.

The post Rotterdam: Five cheapo tips for exploring this Dutch gem appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Time to think

We are not talking posh cruises here, but thinking rather of the regular ferries that ply the seas and inshore waters of Europe. Boats are a chance to take time out and think. We love boat trips.

It may be a simple hop on a ferry from Calais in France to Dover in England – where shipping stalwarts P&O bring cruise ship luxury to a 90-minute journey which in good weather is a sheer delight. Those famous white cliffs at Dover are quite something. (Read our previous post about P&O’s ferry service from England to France.)

Or it may be the long haul, such as the weekly voyage with the Smyril Line vessel Norröna from Denmark to Iceland. Depending on the time of year, the voyage to Iceland takes two or three days.

Shipping links

Europe is a continent that has been shaped by its maritime heritage and shipping links. Ferries are still a major component of the continent’s transport network, taking heavy freight off crowded highways and allowing discerning travelers a chance to swap the rush of modern life for a few quiet hours on board a comfortable ship.

For many island communities, of course, ferries provide lifeline links to the wider world. And, at this time of year, the weather is quick to remind us of the fragility of those links. This week, for example, shipping services from the Scottish mainland to Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides have all been heavily disrupted by storms.

Ferry schedules

Sadly, there is no comprehensive guide to Europe’s passenger shipping and ferry routes, but the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable (ERT) does cover more than just trains. Each monthly edition of this wonderful book includes details of several hundred ferry routes in European waters.

For the majority of these routes, the ERT gives the full schedules but for a few routes it is no more than a tantalizing hint of a connection. The vessels of Bumerang Shipping, the ERT advises, sail irregularly from Yalta (in the Crimea) to Novorossisk (in Russia). The timetable tracks the twice weekly sailings of Siremar to Stromboli, and it waves the flag for the Virtu catamaran to Valletta.

Back in the more familiar waters of western Europe, the ERT gives the schedules for most major ferry routes. But still there are gaps. There is simply no space to include small routes of real character. Kintyre Express runs a year-round passenger link between Campbeltown in Scotland (on the Mull of Kintyre) and Ballycastle (in Northern Ireland). This is a route to clear the head. Life jackets are compulsory as the 11-metre RIB speeds over the North Channel on its two-hour run. Not for everyone, perhaps, but it’s certainly an antidote to the deadening boredom of air travel.

A taste of the sea

On longer journeys around Europe, an overnight hop on a ferry makes perfect sense. Here is our pick of a handful of long routes that run all year round. These are all routes run by leading shipping operators with vessels that offer every possible creature comfort.

Each of these five routes feature in this month’s ERT. But they are just five of a vast range of maritime connections that help keep Europe on the move:

Oslo (Norway) to Kiel (Germany):
Every night — 20 hrs — Color Line — ERT Table 2372

Hirtshals (Denmark) to Bergen (Norway):
Thrice-weekly overnight service — 19 hrs — Fjord Line — ERT Table 2237

Rotterdam (Holland) to Hull (England):
Every night— 12 hrs — P&O — ERT Table 2245

Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia):
Every night — 16 hrs — Tallink Silja — ERT Table 2475

Civitavecchia (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain):
Nightly ex Sundays — 20 hrs — Grimaldi Lines — ERT Table 2520

The post Traveling by Ferry in Europe: Down to the seas again appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.